I was born into & will die with Learning Challenges (in- language processing & short & long term memories), have earned degree in SLD, many certifications, including VE & ESE, from the most respected higher educational school in Fl., whatever that is worth, & facilitated learning in Elementary schools’-high schools’-adult education school’s ESE & Etc. classrooms. So I understand that challenges can be extremely hard identify-prove & everywhere, I think everyone has a challenge, to some degree.
Yet I cannot understand the challenges that genetic engineered friends of Dr. Bashir character Lauren (played by Hillary Shepard) & Patrick (played by Michael Keenan).
The only thing that comes close to challenges I see in-
Lauren having is higher attraction drive to men, than the average person
&
Patrick having is he is easily manipulated-to easy to go along with others, especially by Jack.
Lauren thing seems like UPN censored away the writers from going to a real challenge & forced them to her being just higher attraction drive to men, than the average person, which is not a challenge.
&
Patrick thing is not even close to being a challenge at all, maybe, lack confidence or whatever, but not a challenge, while Lauren is also not a challenge, I can understand that if the writers were not censored away from her being sex addiction, then that would been a challenge.
I do not think it is just the writers not doing enough research & reach-out, ‘Star Trek’ universe of series & movies are known for trying to be as althentic as possible. I think it also includes-
The Rich-Super Rich Economic Classes/Owners do not okay their studios to make those characters-story lines-stories, let alone whole series*. & that influences the shows they get pitched,
- Why has there not been a ‘Star Trek’ series or movie that involves people with super intelligence & skills like that, but the challenges go along with it? Half joking, but ‘Big Bang Theory’s* character Shelton would work & be funny, Shelton fanboy did not pay me to say that or have something on me to force me to say that. Heck the other ‘Big Bang Theory’s character characters would work & be funny also. But a lot serious, there are some challenges that give people traits thatmake them the perfect crew members.
**- Funniest comedy of all time, The GOAT!
Hated big bang theory as it betrayed autistic people as “smart but extremely awkward” trope that genuinely me a lot of my fellow autistic people I know very much hate. As it’s utterly inaccurate as what neurodivergent people are.
“Your autistic? Oh like Sheldon?” Is usually when I start to question if I should be around that person.
My mother had taught At Risk (the label keeps changing, not exactly the same challenge, as you are talking about) students for 30-years & retired, that is just one-member of my family, full of educational & health professionals. Most importantly I have facilitated students of sorts of challenges & some that their only challenges were they were immigrants.
I can only say yes that was an accurate portrayal of some people with Autism. As you know Autism is a huge spectrum of differences; it is not show, it is the people who just apply that to every person with Autism. You can never portrayal them all, so you blend the most well known. Plus it is a comedy,
It is similar to my super smart brother, who was upset about it, only because it made fun of the smartest person. Really it makes them more relatable, the series of the ‘90s that had gay characters, contributed to gay people’s acceptance.
Of course being the spoiled, never economically suffering (when he was born we had a lot more money, than when I was born), Male & Caucasian he just does get practice what you preach, just an example, he, right in front of me, in a humorous way picks on fellow employees below him.
Plus, maybe, you missed it, but all the characters (I guess except for Penny & Bernadette) have problems in socializing with non-smart people, & for sure all the characters have challenges in one-way or another.
I been saying for many years now, that I wish comedies did not make laughs off of characters’ (differences & Etc.), but that is sad state of our Capitalist-moving to Feudalist world.